Published November 8, 2026
NEWPORT BEACH | CITY HALL WATCH | NOVEMBER 8, 2026
The Balboa Yacht Basin on Harbor Island Drive is one of those Newport places locals love because nobody’s fixed it up yet. The Galley Cafe, the old garages, the little Myrtle Park. In 2024, the city decided it was time to fix it up. Two years later, we’re still waiting to see what that looks like.
The plan
The city owns the basin: 172 slips, a shipyard, the Galley, offices, three apartments and storage garages. Staff said the 1940s buildings on the north end had reached the end of their useful life. After proposals came in, the council picked Burnham-Ward Properties in April 2024 over a pitch for 10 houses.
Burnham-Ward’s plan was to remodel or replace the buildings, keep the Galley with maybe more outdoor dining, add offices and storage, expand Myrtle Park and keep marina restrooms and showers. On July 23, 2024, the council approved a two-year exclusive negotiating agreement to hammer out a lease. The city’s project page put design at 2025 and construction around 2028.
Where it stands
We searched the city’s records for a lease or any new deal brought back to the council. We didn’t find one. That doesn’t prove nothing’s happening. It does mean locals haven’t seen it.
What has happened: the city dredged the basin’s channels, finished this spring, and took over running the marina early from the old management company. The harbormaster told the Harbor Commission in July that years of mold on dock boxes and pile caps is mostly gone. The city’s harbor plan also budgets about $10 million to replace the slips.
So the mold moved out faster than the master plan moved in.
Questions for City Hall
- Did the negotiating window run out, get extended or produce a deal?
- What happens to the Galley, the apartment tenants and the garage renters, and when?
Sources
- City of Newport Beach: Balboa Yacht Basin Redevelopment Project
- Staff report: Exclusive negotiating agreement with Burnham-Ward, July 23, 2024
- Harbor Commission minutes, July 8, 2026
- Balboa Yacht Basin dredging notice of completion, April 2026
- 2027 Harbor and Beaches Master Plan draft
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